Blog Post

Prestigious awards ceremony chooses local beer festival as host

The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has chosen the Gateshead Beer and Music Festivalhttps://www.gatesheadbeerfestival.co.uk/ on 3rd-5th May 2019 as the host for their annual North East Independent Beer Awards.

The festival is celebrating its 10th birthday
this year and will provide the venue for the judges to decide on the best beers
and ales from the region. The North East champions in each category will join
the 7 other regional champions from the UK in moving forward to the national
awards, which are held at BeerX, the UK’s largest independent craft brewing
trade show.

The awards represent the very best beer from the UK’s
independent brewers and are judged by fellow brewers and industry experts,
making these awards the “Brewers’ Choice” awards in the UK.

Tom Tate, who chairs the Gateshead Beer and Music Festival organising
committee, said:

“We’re delighted that SIBA have chosen our festival to host
their 2019 North East awards. This is our 10th year, so a big
anniversary for us, and hosting the awards is a fantastic way to mark that,
meaning we’re guaranteed to have the best beers in the region on offer.

Added to that our music line-up, which we think is the best
we’ve ever had, and everything else our customers have come to expect, and we’re
confident we’re putting on the best festival we’ve ever had.”

“The North East regional beer competition and awards will showcase the best beers and breweries from Sheffield to Berwick on Tweed. Some 180 real ales and 100’s of bottled and canned beers of varying styles are entered into the competition and we are pleased that these will then be available for consumption at the Gateshead Beer and Music Festival weekend.’’

WHATS ON AT THE FESTIVAL – MUSIC

Friday 3rd May 2019

Smoove & Turrell – (21:15 – 22:30)

After a hiatus following their three headline sets in 2014, 2015 & 2016, we welcome the boys back to the Gateshead stage. What better way for the band to celebrate 10 years together than with a gig on home-turf celebrating our tenth anniversary festival.

Smoove had met keyboardist Mike Porter through the local music scene in Newcastle and recruited him for his ‘Smoove Live’ project for the label Acid Jazz. Around Mike’s house one day they overheard a neighbour singing sublime melodies in his garage with friends which turned out to be none other than a young John Turrell practising in a band called ‘The Stevies’. After a couple of further sessions ‘scouting’ him they finally knocked on the door and had a chat and hit it off straight away.

A man of many facets, John Turrell was a skilled carpenter, working and teaching the trade to apprentices at a local college as well as his musical endeavours. After the trio performed several gigs together with various other guest musicians it was agreed they would create some new material and so they started to write and arrange a clutch of tracks that Smoove would record and produce.

Their first track was the now classic ‘I Can’t Give You Up’ recorded at Mike Porter’s house as his Hammond Organ was immovably wedged in his utility room! If you listen closely to the (now extremely expensive) original 7-inch recording released on the German label Club Tikka you can still hear Mike’s mum retrieving a pack of peas from the freezer… The track was so popular in the underground Mod and Northern soul scene all initial 500 pressings of the record sold out, resulting in online bidding wars, with the record going for as much as £166.

The first few tracks were received with a rapturous response and their newfound northern soul style demanded that a Smoove & Turrell live band was formed so they swiftly filled out their ranks with a crack team of like-minded Geordie musicians. Now as a full soul band they were creatively allowed to really stretch their legs both live and in the studio and their debut, Antique Soul was released in 2009 on Jalapeno Records.

As always though with Smoove & Turrell the highs and the lows of life are represented and the hard time realism of some of the lyrics is tempered by the irrepressible dancefloor euphoria of others.

Never one to rest for long, the Geordie soul crew return with a stunning fifth album Mount Pleasant, after the success of Crown Posada, which gave the band multiple BBC Radio 2 playlists and 6 music spins. An album which true to their style draws on subject matters which are aimed to make us stop and think, with songs such as the politically charged ‘Hate Seeking Missile’, balanced fittingly with uplifting stompers, such as ‘I Feel Alive’, guaranteed to get even the most resistant of dancers toe-tapping.

The Understudies (19:30 – 20:45)

Four Gadgies from South Shields playing a load of tunes you don’t usually hear in pubs, with the kind of infectious energy and enthusiasm which has gained excellent reviews for early gigs. All veterans of the local gig scene, the band play a mix of Rock, Indie, Punk and new wave which hopes to find that elusive combination of songs you don’t hear but that you know and love.

Loads of proper mint songs by such bands and artists as…….Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Steely Dan, The Police, David Bowie, The Who, ELO, The Faces, Wings, Talking Heads, Prince, The Jam, and a few more. Mint!

Los Capitan0s (18:05 – 19:05)

Los Capitanes are a two/three-piece acoustic band specialising in mash-ups and covers with a Latin twist, their unique and high-energy covers are sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face! Formed in 2010, Los Capitanes (Los Caps to friends) have been building up a reputation in their native North East England ever since as an extremely entertaining and accomplished group with the ability to cater for intimate cafe gigs just as well as large festivals and weddings.

What started as a one-gig band with a three-song repertoire has now developed into a group covering an eclectic mix of genres, from Funk and Pop to Latin Jazz, ensuring that there is a little bit of something for everyone.

Prince, The Jam, and a few more. Mint!

Mollie Birmingham (17:05 – 17:45)

We welcome back the wonderful Mollie Birmingham, a north east singer songwriter. Having supported major artists and performed for international stars, Mollie is getting ready for a massive 2019.

Black `n’ Blue (16:00 – 16:50)

A seven piece ‘ Harmony Rock ‘ band based in Newcastle upon Tyne, and play all over the North East of England.

So what exactly is a ‘ Harmony Rock ‘ band ? Well, we take the best of your favourite songs spanning a period from the 1960’s right through to the present day, put a bit of a spin on them with some fine harmonies from our fantastic girl singers. Then we belt them out with the help of 5 guys on guitars, keyboards and drums!

Skiffle (15:15 – 15:40)

Silver skiffle

Saturday 4th May 2019

Zen (Headliners) (21:00 – 22:30)

ZEN are the ULTIMATE eighties band, playing some of the biggest anthems from the 80s, with just a little bit of 70s thrown in for good measure and all 100% live!

We work hard to faithfully reproduce the sound of those classic tracks you know and love, with a spectacular live stage show that we guarantee will leave you shouting for more!

Until then, keep it ZEN…

The Good Souls (19:30 – 20:30)

Indie, Rock & Dance

Influenced by a love of Indie Music, The Good Souls are a familiar face among venues and festivals across the North East. Fresh from some spectacular support slots at Newcastle’s O2 Academy this year, they’ve firmly established themselves as one of the region’s top cover bands. Anchored firmly in their love of 90’s indie music, The Good Souls have diversified using big keyboard sounds to give a unique but accurate sound to the songs they cover.

Since they started in 2009, The Good Souls have gained a loyal and dedicated following due to their ability to play a wide range of covers to suit all tastes and ages. With a growing reputation this dynamic, evolving, six-piece band will entertain you with a diverse range of songs from: The Killers to Erasure; Oasis to Bruno Mars; U2 to Rihanna. So, bring your dancing shoes, your drinking mitt and your party face as there’s definitely something for everyone!

The Sound Cartel (18:00 – 19:00)

Hailing from South Tyneside, The Sound Cartel have been entertaining pubs parties and festivals in the region for the last 5 years. This dynamic 5 piece like to keep the setlist revolving so the sound is always fresh and energetic.

Get yourself down to the Boogie Zone and get them hips swinging and arms in the air. An hour of classics from The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, Kate Bush, Duran Duran, Bowie, The Beatles, The Boss, Queen, Coldplay, The Kooks and many more.

Funk Soul Sista (16:30 – 17:30)

‘Funk Soul Sista’ are a new all-female 5-piece party band covering the best of funk and soul from the 60s till now. Expect hits from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Chic, Chaka Khan, David Bowie, Luther Vandross, The Commitments, Tina Turner and Bruno Mars that are sure to get you dancing and singing along.’

Diablo (15:00 – 16:00)

DIABLO formed in 2005 building up a reputation for their exciting, high energy live shows with today’s popular indie rock covers and their own songs which were recorded on four albums – “Violet Scent Of Rose”, “Quietly In The Background”; “Weighed Measured And Found Wanting” – the latter being a live double album – and “Going Forward, Looking Back”.

Tracks from these CDs have been popular Internet hits and competition winners, and include “Sigerson”, “Only Fools Reign”, “Subdued”, “Runaway”, “Far Less Than You”, “Say What You Wanna” and “Spit Upon The Ashes, all of which can be found on You Tube, iTunes, Apple Music and all major download websites.

DIABLO have performed all over the north from Liverpool and Birmingham through to Carlisle and Alnwick. The band have headlined or played at many music festivals including Tynedale Beer & Music Festival; Allendale Fair; Gateshead Beer Festival; Innovations Festival (Newcastle); Stormin’ The Castle; Corbridge Music Festival and have appeared at Newcastle’s 02 Academy. Their songs have been played on radio stations nationally and throughout Europe & the USA. Album number five – “Screaming Out”, recorded at Trinity Heights, Newcastle, will be out late 2018 / early 2019.

Floresta Hustle (13:35 – 14:30)

Floresta hustle is a three piece band that combines a soul voice, a dance feel loop guitarist and a folk feel guitarist and percussionist, that creates a very original feel good sound. Not to be missed out on!

Ste Johnson (12:30 – 13:20)

Ste Johnson is a singer and guitarist from County Durham.

Playing hits spanning the decades and often putting his own personal twist on them, Ste literally has something for everyone and is looking forward to returning to the Gateshead Beer & Music Festival Stage.

Terry & Sean – (13:00 – 15:00) – Indoor Stage

Following a brilliant debut at our 2016 festival and a return fixture in 2017 & 2018, Terry Fletcher and Sean Taylor are coming back to to play a relaxed set in our Bar/Hall area on Saturday 4th May 1pm-3pm.Terry Fletcher and Sean Taylor are an acoustic duo formed in 2002 who play songs by James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Tom Waites, Joe Jackson, and more.Sean (bass, acoustic guitar) has played in many bands. Until recently he played in both the western alt country band Diesel Therapy and the Annie Orwin band. As well as playing in the duo he also plays bass with the Aaron Bayley band.Terry (acoustic guitar and vocals) has played in bands too long ago to mention and since the 80’s has played solo in pubs and folk clubs in the region and most lately in Edinburgh. Is currently a resident musician at Cramlington Folk Club and guitarist and vocalist with the local band The Mirrors.

Sunday 5th May 2019

V12 Band (Headliner) (20:30 – 22:00)

X – factor finalist Carl Pemberton brings his fantastic new band V12 Premier Events Band to the 10th Gateshead Beer & Music Festival

You may remember Carl and his brother finishing third in X-Factor as duo Journey South.

C-Collective (19:00 -20:00)

To get a taste of what C-Collective are about, we recommend you try and catch the band live. Our video’s capture what we do musically, but cannot convey the energy and all round good vibes the band produce. We play an eclectic mix of songs which cover many genre’s – the aim being to appeal to all musical tastes and age groups. Our current repertoire includes everything from Bob Marley to Blur, The Jam to The Prodigy, Eurythmics to Kasabian, The White Stripes to Faithless, David Bowie to Stevie Wonder – all performed with a great sense of fun.

The Ska – Toons (17:30 – 18:30)

The Ska-Toons are a 8 piece Ska band hailing from North Shields. The band is made up from ex members of The Gangsters of Ska and Alive & Kicking, featuring a 3-piece horn section. Some band members have been spotted playing in line-ups with Bad Manners, The Toasters, Penetration & The Clash.

Ruby & the Mystery cats (16:05 – 17:00)

We’re based in the north east of England playing red hot rockabilly, rock & roll and rockin’ blues tunes that’ll get the crowd bopping. Expect to hear songs from artists such as Wanda Jackson, Janis Martin, Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Ruth Brown and many more. We deliver an energetic show and an authentic 50’s sound.

The Nutopians (14:40 – 15:35)

Nutopians are a Father and son songwriting duo who also cover alternative pop and rock songs from 80s 90’s 0s with songs by acts ranging from The Cure, Big Country, Blondie, Skids, Editors, Smiths, OMD, Kraftwerk, Killing Joke, Mani Street Preachers etc etc.We have released 3 albums of our own material which we have sold all over the world and received 5 star reviews across the board on Amazon.co.uk. and our Debut album “What does the future sound like” was voted 20th best album of 2016 in an American online Music Magazine. We also won the Sunniside Live Festival battle of the bands competition in 2017. We have been gigging regularly around the North East since 2013 and we are looking forward to playing to a new crowd of people at the Gateshead Beer Festival 2019.

Trilogy (13:35 – 14:20)

Trilogy is, Isaac Oscar and Theo. Triplet brothers from Gateshead who have been busking around the North East since August 2017. The boys made their Gateshead debut on the indoor stage in 2018 and return in 2019 to perform on our main stage.

Ste Johnson – (14.30 – 15.30) – Indoor Stage

Ste Johnson is a singer and guitarist from County Durham.

Playing hits spanning the decades and often putting his own personal twist on them, Ste literally has something for everyone and is looking forward to returning to the Gateshead Beer & Music Festival Stage.

George Welch & Christine Jeans – (12.00 – 14.00) – Indoor Stage

We are delighted to announce that the wonderful George Welch and Christine Jeans will once again be joining us on Sunday 5th May.

We’ve had the pleasure of hosting both George and Christine for the last 5 or 6 years… They are the perfect accompaniment for the Sunday lunchtime session.

George has, for many years, graced the live music scene delighting audiences with his quirky sense of humour, memorable vocals, guitar, cittern and ukulele. Christine is involved with the local folk music scene playing banjo, bass and ukulele. George and Christine have played together for several years at folk venues from Scotland to Northumberland to Yorkshire and enjoy every minute.

Please note: All artists are subject to change without notice. Times may be adjusted without notice